Machine for sealing bottles



No. 623,274. Patented Apr. I8, |899.

A. A. CARPER.

MACHINE FUR SEALING BOTTLES.

(Application led Dec. 13, 1897.) @No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

IIII

. IIIII:

-WI'TNE'EE- -INVEN-I" EF1?" DQML yd? QM@ wf wf/474%? y wz/54% Patented Apr. I3, |899.

2; Sheets-Sheet 2.

@MQ @.M

A. A. CARPEB.

MACHINE FUR SEALING BOTTLES.

(Application filed Dec, 13, 1897.)

No. 623,274.l

(No Mndel.)

wm-m5555554 lUNrrnn STATES PATENT rricn.

ALBERT A. CARPER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE ALUMI- NUM STOPPER COMPANY OF BALTIMORE CITY, OF MARYLAND.

MACHINE FOR lSEALING BOTTLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 623,274, dated. April 18,1899. Application filed Iecemher' 13, 1897. Serial No. 661,634.. (No modeld To ctZZ whom t Wtfty con/067%.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT A. CARPER, of the city of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain Improvements in Machines for Sealing Bottles, of which the following is a specification.

rIhis invention relates to a machine especially adapted to expand within the throat of a suitably-constructed bottle the improved hollow metallic'plug shown and described in Letters Patent No. 541,203, granted on the 13th day of June, 1895, to Robert A. Hall.

In the description of the said invention which follows reference is made to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and in whichi Figure l is a partly-sectional side view of the ,improved bottle-sealing machine, with the upper parts thereof removed, together with a bottle which is shown in the position which it occupies before the insertion in the throat thereof of the hollow metallic plug before referred to. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the parts omitted in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an enlarged central section of the lower part of the sealing-head, together with the head of a bottle, illustrating the relative positions of the various parts before the inserted hollow plug is expanded to form a tight joint. Fig. i is a view similar to Fig. 3, except that the plug-expanding devices are shown in the positions which they relatively occupy after the sealing operation. Fig. 5 is an under side View of the sealing-head. Fig. 6 is an under side view of the seal-expanding device alone on a still enlarged scale. section of Fig. 6 on the dotted line as x. Fig. S is a central vertical section of a sealed bottle-head on the same scale as Figs. 6 and 7.

Referring now to the drawings, A is a hollow columnar stand having three legs a secured thereto by bolts, as shown in Fig. l.

B is the head of the columnar stand, consisting of a laterally-extending box provided with a boss l1, which is bored to receive the turned end of the column. The head is secured in place by means of a bolt (not shown) inserted through the hole c, whereby the portion of the box which surrounds the column and is slitted is constricted upon the column.

-to form a ring.

Fig. 7 is a cross.

O is the sealing-head, consisting of a shell e, the bore of which is cylindrical and the outside slightly conical. It is slitted longitudinally from the lower end to the point Z, and thereby divided into a number of springsegments of uniform width. In the drawings the slitted portion of the shell is shown as divided into eight segments, but the number may be increased or diminished without materially affecting the invention. The upper 6o end of this shell is screwed into the overhanging portion of the head B of the columnar stand Y A and in contact with an annular projectionf.

(See Fig. 2.) The lower end of the slitted shell is provided with an annular flaring lip h, which terminates within the shell in a dat annular face fi.

` To equalize outward movement of the segments of the shell,imparted to them by forcing an object into the mouth, and also to in- 7o crease the inherent stiffness of the segments,

I form an annular groove in the shell immediately above Jthe outer edge of the lip and insert therein a spring j, preferably consisting of a wire spiral with its ends connected By means of this reinforcingspring a uniform expansion of the lower end of the hollow plu g-expandin g head is obtained when the head of a bottle is forced into its mouth.`

The segments of the shell are provided with plate-springs g, which extend from the outer edge of the lip 7L to the mouth and serve to center the bottle-head before its outer surface can effect any movement of the segments. S5 These subsidiary springs are not absolutely essential, but they have the effect of making the inner surface of the segments elastic and yielding.

The expander or device which directly sets 9o out the hollow metallic plug E as an entirety is denoted by D, and it consist-s of a disk in segments m. (Shown particularly in Figs. 6

and 7.) Vhen the segments 4are closely in contact, as-shown in Figs. 3, G, and '7, its up- 95 per surface is flat and the diameter of the disk corresponds with that of the bore o'f the shell,

and its under face presents a button of a y depth equal to that ofthe hollow metallic plug, having a flaring edge and a countersunk roo lower face q. The disk is also provided with a peripheral bead o. By this construction of the disk each segment m has an outwardlyprojecting finger fr.

The expander is placed in t-he shell e, with its peripheral bead 0 resting on the fiat face a' of the lip 7L., before referred to, and when s0 supported the segments of the disk may be tilted and made to assu me the positions shown in Fig. 4 by pressing the centerof the disk.

II is a spindle extending from the upper face of the expander D into the hollow head B of the columnar stand A, where it is provided with a head s. The lower end of the spindle isthreaded and fitted with a flanged nut t, and between the flange of this nut and the fiange of a sleeve u, which bears against the under side of the head s, is coiledspring F.

To prevent buckling of the coiled springF in its compression by means of the nut t, an unsupported loosely-fitting sleeve G is placed on the spindle, as shown in Fig. 2. Thelength of this sleeve is such that it will not come in contact with bot'h the nut t and the sleeve u when the coiled spring is fully compressed.

Over the head s of the spindle I-I and in contact with the flange of the sleeve u is a hollow cap I, having a rounded end and a flange, whichis confined between the sleeve and the projection f in the head B. This cap is of such depth as t0 admit of a limited upward movement of the head s when the spring F is compressed beyond the com pression shown in the drawings by lifting the spindle.

The spindle H, with its attachments, as described, is supported by the expander D, the yielding shell e resisting the tendency of the segments of the expander to assume the tilted position shown in Fig. 4 until some force is applied to the upper end of the spindle.

J is a recessed circulaitable for the bottles to be sealed, fastened to the end of a stem K, which is adjusted endwise within a spindle L, adapted to slide in the brackets M and N, extending from the columnar stand A.

O is a set-screw for holding the stem K afterits adjustment with reference to the spindle L to suit the length of the bottles to be sealed.

A bottle (denoted by X) is shown in Fig. l as seated on the table J.

Pis a cross-lever fulcrumed at a' to the columnar stand A. Its outer end is forked' and fits the spindle L, which is cut away at the sides to produce the curved faces ZJ above and below the lever, with which the similarlycurved surfaces of the lever come in contact. The inner end of the cross-lever P, within the columnar stand A, is connected by the extensible link R to a treadle Q., pivoted at c' to the back leg a of the stand A. This link is formed of the threaded eyes d and e', the former being attached to the cross-lever P and the latter to the treadle and the coiled spring f', the ends of which are screwedonto the threaded portion of the eyes.

S is a lever situated in the hollow head B and fulcrumed therein at g'. Its free end has a slot 7L to receive the pin t" at the upper end of a rod T. The rod T extends down through the columnar stand A to the treadle Q, to which it is united by a pin 7c'.

U is an adjustable stop for the lever S. It consists merely of a bolt and a locking-nut.

The operation of sea-ling bottles by means of my improved machine is as follows: The first operation consists in placing an unexpanded hollow metallic plug over the b utton of the expander, which it fits tightly. A filled bottle is then placed on the recessed table J, and the operator presses the treadle Q with his foot. In the first part of the downward movement of the treadle the pin fi' is lowered in the slot h of the lever S, and the said lever consequentlyy falls of its own gravity until it comes in contact with the top of the cap I, which forms the upper termination of the stem H. During and by this operation the bottle is raised until its head enters the fiaring mouth of the sealing-head, and its extreme end is brought in contact with the fiat face around the button of the expander D. On entering the sealing-head the bottle receives the hollow plug, which, it will be remembered, is held by the button of the expander. As the depression of the treadle continues the lever S is drawn down by the pin ql and the stem I-I thereby forced down by the cap I through the medium of the yielding spring F, coiled aboutit. The bottle now being stationary, the lower end of the stem tilts the segments of the expander, as su'hown in Fig. 4, and their fingers are thereby set out and circumferentially expand the hollow lug.

p rlhe object of the stop Uis to limit the downward motion of the lever S, and consequently the spring-pressure of the stem H on the expander. The danger of breaking the bottles is thereby reduced.

Vhile the movement of the treadle has been described as consisting of two steps, in practice the operation is a single and continuous one, the steps being merely described to illustrate the action of the machine and the nature of the invention.

The reason for employing an extensible instead of a rigid link or connection between the lever P and the treadle is that the movement of the lever S has to be continued after the lever P comes to rest. Otherwise the bottle-head would lift the expander.

To adapt the apparatus to properly expand the hollow plug without placing undue strain on the bottle, a seal is placed on the button of the expander and the stop U adjusted so that the extreme downward movement of the lever S will expand the seal to a diameter slightly greater than that of the throat of the bottle.

In the operation of the machine the extra movement of the lever S or that in excess of what is required to set out the hollow plug tightly against the inner surface of the throat IIC of the bottle is taken up by the spring F, the stem II being practically shortened in the compression of the said spring.

I claim as my inventionl. In amachine for expanding ahollow plug in the throat of a bottle, an expander consisting of a disk having a button cnits underside adapted to enter the hollow plug to be expanded, the said disk and button being in segments substantially as described, combined with means to press on the upper surface of the said disk and thereby tilt the segments thereof, substantially as specified.

2. In a machine for expanding a hollow plug in the throat of a bottle, an expander which consists of a disk having a button on its under side adapted to enter the seal to be expanded, and also a downwardly-extending annular lip, the said disk being in segments substantially as described, combined with means to support the annular lip of the disk, and mechanism to depress the center of the disk and thereby tilt the segments and expand the button in the hollow plug substantially as specified.

In a machine for expanding a hollow metallic plug in the throat of a bottle, the combination of a hollow sealing-head which is expansible at its lower end, an expander in segments having an expansible button on its under side, supported in the said head, and mechanism to depress the central portion of the said expander, and thereby tilt the segments thereof within a hollow metallic plug placed over the button, substantially as specilied.

i. In a machine for sealing bottles, the sealing-head thereof, or the lower portion of the same, slitted to form flexible segmentscombined with an expansible device to distend a plug which is held in a contracted condition by means of the segments of the head, and means to distend the expander against the yielding segments of the head, substantially as, and for the purpose specified.

5. In a machine for sealingbottles, the sealing-head thereof made expansible at its lower end by slitting it into segments, combined with reinforcing-spring which is applied to the outside of the expansible portion of th head, substantially as specified.

(i. In a machine for expanding a hollow metallic plugin the throat of a bottle, the combination of a sealing-head having a flared mouth to receive the head of the bottle, an expander situated in the said head, a ccmpressible stem to operate the said expander, a lever placed over the upper end of the stem having a slot at its free end, a treadle, a link which unites the treadle to the slotted lever in such manner that the treadle may be forced down for a certain distance without communicating movement to the said lever, avertically-moving table on which bottles to be sealed are placed, a lever to operate the said table, and an extensible link to connect the saidlever with the treadle, substantially as specified.

7. In combination with a sealing-head having a flaring mouth, and made expansible by slitting it into segments as described, platesprings which are attached to the outer lip of the mouth of the head and extended within the mouth, substantially as, and for the purpose specified.

S. In a machine for expanding a hollow metallic plug in the throat of a bottle, the combination of a sealing-head having a flared mouth to receive the head of the bottle, an expander situated in the said head, a compressible stem to operate the said expander, a lever placed over the upper end of the compressible stem, av treadle, a link which unites the treadle with the lever, the connection being such that the treadle may be forced down for a certain distance without communicating movement to the said lever, a verticallymoving table on which bottles to be sealed are placed, a lever to operate the said table,

and an extensible link to connect the said lever with the said treadle, substantially as specified.

9. In combination with a sealing-head having an expansible flaring month, plate-springs which extend from the exterior to the interior of the said mouth to form a resilient centering device for the heads of the bottles, substantially as specified.

l0. In combination with a sealing-head having an expansible flaring mouth, plate-springs which are attached to thelip which surrounds the mouth and enters the saidmouth to form a resilient centering device for the heads of bottles, substantially as specified.

' ALBERT A. OARPER. lVitnesses:

ROBERT A. HALL, CHARLES H. MILES.

IOO 

